The Force Is Strong With This One: "X-Wing"

First, A Long-Winded Preamble...

When The Phantom Menace came out in 1999 I went to the theater three times to try and convince myself that the movie was good.  During this period of denial I bought several prequel-flavored Star Wars board games.  They included, but weren't limited to...

The Queen's Gambit

Clash of the Lightsabers

Invasion of Theed

Epic Duels

and God help me...the Star Wars Game of Life

Eventually I joined the rest of humanity in its appraisal of the prequels and subsequently back-lashed pretty hard against them.  So, even though I collected and enjoyed the "Rebel Storm" Star Wars Miniatures set, I flat-out refused to invest in the "Clone Strike" expansion or anything else involving Phantasmal Menaci, Attacking Clones, or Vengeful Sith.

Until I saw this stupid thing:

Fuck you, Genndy Tartakovsky for making something I loathed seem cool for awhile.  

Anyway, long story slightly less long, I invested pretty heavily in every Star Wars Miniatures set up until "Champions of the Force" came out.  Eventually I grew weary of "chasing the collectible dragon" and gave up in frustration.        

A Quick Flashback...

Back in the late 80's, when there was the Holy Trilogy and nothing else, the Star Wars Roleplaying Game really helped keep Star Wars fandom simmering at a low boil:

Included in this product line was a stellar star fighter combat table-top game called Star Warriors: 

Beyond the amazing cover art by Ralph McQuarrie, the game let players pilot every major starship in the Star Wars universe.  Not only could it be played as a stand-alone board game, it was perfectly compatible with the RPG, which meant that your characters could hop into an X-Wing and blast the bejesus out of Advanced, Interceptor, Bomber and pain ol' vanilla category TIE fighters whenever they wanted to.  

As great as the game was, it used a wargame-era paper hex-based starfield map and cardboard chits to represent the starships.  Although we had an absolute blast playing Star Warriors at the time, I always longed for real miniatures and a less grognardian rule set. 

Back To The Future... 

Towards the end of the Star Wars Miniatures line they produced a series of ships for their Starship Battles game.  Unfortunately the rules were extremely flyweight, the quality of the minis were bend-a-licious and the scale for the ships was completely and totally wonky.  Just check this out:

Okay, so that TIE bomber looks like it's about the same size as the Rebel Blockade Runner.  What kinda horse shit is that?  Unimpressed, I involvement with the game was fleeting at best.

My moratorium on buying Star Wars games continued until I saw an add for this thing:

  

At face value X-Wing looked as if it had it all.  High-quality minis forged precisely to scale.  Excellent components.  A core game engine similar to the highly thematic yet imminently playable Wings of War. I knew right away that I had little hope of avoiding this one, especially after reading the borderline pornographic description of the game provided by publisher Fantasy Flight: 

Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game is a tactical ship-to-ship combat game in which players take control of powerful Rebel X-wings and nimble Imperial TIE fighters, facing them against each other in fast-paced space combat. Featuring stunningly detailed and painted miniatures, the X-Wing Miniatures Game recreates exciting Star Wars space combat throughout its several included scenarios. Select your crew, plan your maneuvers, and complete your mission!

Whatever your chosen vessel, the rules of X-Wing facilitate fast and visceral gameplay that puts you in the middle of Star Wars fiercest firefights. Each ship type has its own unique piloting dial, which is used to secretly select a speed and maneuver each turn. After planning maneuvers, each ship's dial is revealed and executed (starting with the lowest skilled pilot). So whether you rush headlong toward your enemy showering his forward deflectors in laser fire, or dance away from him as you attempt to acquire a targeting lock, you'll be in total control throughout all the tense dogfighting action.

Star Wars: X-Wing features (three) unique missions, and each has its own set of victory conditions and special rules; with such a broad selection of missions, only clever and versatile pilots employing a range of tactics will emerge victorious. What's more, no mission will ever play the same way twice, thanks to a range of customization options, varied maneuvers, and possible combat outcomes. Damage, for example, is determined through dice and applied in the form of a shuffled Damage Deck. For some hits your fighter sustains, you'll draw a card that assigns a special handicap. Was your targeting computer damaged, affecting your ability to acquire a lock on the enemy? Perhaps an ill-timed weapon malfunction will limit your offensive capabilities. Or worse yet, your pilot could be injured, compromising his ability to focus on the life-and-death struggle in which he is engaged...

The Star Wars: X-Wing starter set includes everything you need to begin your battles, such as scenarios, cards, and fully assembled and painted ships. What's more, Star Wars: X-Wing's quick-to-learn ruleset establishes the foundation for a system that can be expanded with your favorite ships and characters from the Star Wars universe.      

And so, on my first day at Hal-Con this year, I decided to bite the bullet and drop forty beans on the core game.  After procuring an additional TIE Advanced and a Y-Wing to round out the assortment, I began the process of digesting the rules.  Which, as it turns out, was a fairly easy task thanks to slick instructional vids like this:

Looking to explore the true nature of the Force?  Well, in the famous words of a certain laconic smuggler: "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen anything to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything."

What is real, however, is Fantasy Flight's support for the game.  You can even read X-Wing's entire rulebook right here.  

  
Anyway, a couple Wednesdays ago, me and Mike had a chance to through down in a mano-a-mano dogfight to the death.  Here's how our two forces stacked up:

IMPERIALS (ME)

Darth Vader...29 points

"Mauler" Mithel...17 points

Black Squadron Pilot...14 points

Concussion Missiles Upgrade for Advanced TIE...4 points

"Swarm Tactics" Upgrade for "Mauler" Mithel...2 points

"Squad Leader" Card for Darth Vader...2 points

"Expert Handling" Card for Black Squadron Pilot...2 points

Total Squad Point Cost: 70

REBELS (MIKE)

Luke Skywalker...28 points

Horton Salm...25 points

Ion Cannon Upgrade for Y-Wing...5 points

R2-D2 Upgrade for X-Wing...4 points

Proton Torpedo Upgrade for both X-Wing and Y-Wing...4 x 2 = 8 

Total Squad Point Cost: 70

***

As the two squadrons closed the gap with one another, Vader Targeted the Y-Wing and managed to hit it at long range, damaging two of its Shields.  Luke returned fire at the Sith Lord, but Vader avoided the effect with a primed Focus.  Unfortunately, this put him right into the sights of Tim Horton's...er...Horton Salm's Y-Wing, which managed to graze Vader at long range for a point of damage!

During the subsequent pass, Vader took another pot-shot, this time at Luke.  Mike conjured up two Evade die results, nullifying the one hit.  Luke fired back with three dice, scoring a Critical and a regular hit on his pappy.  Not a good start for the Empire!    

As the two squadrons flew through one another and broke up, only the Y-Wing's 360° Ion Cannon had the capacity to fire.  The subsequent zap ionized the Black Squadron TIE, scoring three solid hits and sending it spiralling out of control!  

After the fighters come hard about, "Mauler" Mithel attempted to fire back at the Y-Wing but it managed to Evade.  Meanwhile, Vader scored two hits on Luke, bringing down his Shields.

Horton Salm lit up his twin Taim & Bak IX4 forward-mounted laser cannons, threatening "Mauler" Mithel with two hits.  The Imperial ace performed a quick slip maneuver, avoiding one point of the damage.

Salm kept peppering Mithel with a tenacious hail of close-range laser-fire but the wily veteran continued to duck and weave.  Two potential hits fell by the wayside.    

After the last lethal fly-by, the fighters spent a tense turn jockeying for position.  Both "Mauler" Mithel and the Black Squadron Pilot were forced to incur some major G's while performing hairpin turns.

Setting himself up as a nominee for the "Galaxy's Worst Father", Vader drilled down on his son's X-Wing.  After rolling only a single hit, I spent a Focus token and dialed up another.  Luke responded with a flurry of evasive moves, shaking off his Dad's withering attack.

Looking to take advantage of Vader's preoccupation, Horton Salm opened up, scoring one potential hit and upgrading a Focus result into another.  At the last second, the Sith Lord rolled two Evade results and pulled up out of the crossfire.

Intent on blasting Vader into atoms, Horton Salm didn't notice the Black Squadron TIE bearing down on him like a shark.  After the Imperial pilot scored one Crit and another regular hit, Mike rolled two blanks, forcing him to deduct his Y-Wings's last Shield marker and take a point of hull damage.  

On the verge of flying off the battlefield, Luke invested a turn flipping around.  Unfortunately, this did precious little to throw off Darth Vader's Target Lock and he was soon forced to contend with two incoming blaster bolts.  Luke managed to Evade one hit and his Shield soaked up the second.  Stressed by the extreme maneuver and the hail of laser fire, Luke's counterattack on Vader was a stone cold miss.         

"Mauler" Mithel took a bead on Horton Salm's Y-Wing.  Mike rolled two blanks on his Defense Dice and got blasted right in the exhaust nacelle ("I hate when that happens!") for two points of damage. Sensing blood in the water, the Black Squadron Pilot trowelled another point of damage onto the Y-Wing. 

Luke served up three potential hits on the Black Squadron TIE but the wily pilot avoided two of them with a proficient Evade roll.  He tried to counter-attack but Luke effortlessly avoided the single strike like Neo in The Matrix.  Now officially in the zone, "Mauler" Mither blasted away at the close-range Y-Wing.  After nailing him for a point of damage, Mike fumbled his defense roll and Horton Salm was instantly reduced to fine-grain space dust.      

Not long after, both Vader and the Black Squadron Pilot were forced to pull a u-turn in order to get Luke back in their sights. 

Lord Vader tried to laser lance Luke (wow, try saying that five time real quick) but the cagy young Rebel handily avoided it.  In order to get back into contention, he was forced to pull a 180° Koiogran maneuver, putting him under Stress and turning his X-Wing into the equivalent of a space piñata.  He managed to dodge one in-bound Crit from the Black Squadron Pilot and then frustrated him even further by cleanly Evading two follow-up hits.  He wasn't so lucky against his pops, however, who dealt out a solid smack.  Despite the extreme range, "Mauler" Mithel also conjured up one regular hit and a Crit against Luke who's Defense Dice could only assuage half of the pain.   

Vader sniped Luke for two points of long range damage but half of that was turfed by Luke's defense.  The young Jedi switched on his targeting computer and took a bead on the inbound Imperial ace "Mauler" Mithel.  Mithel proved his mettle by evading two points of potential damage and then lobbed back two in return.  Thrown by his rival's ferocity, the Rebel pilot whiffed his defense roll and was forced to eat twin bolts from the TIE's SFS L-S1 laser cannon.  Luke managed to recover just in time to roll away from two more promising strikes courtesy of the Black Squadron Pilot. 

As the remaining four pilots closed to within lethal distance of one another, the dogfight suddenly turned into a knife-fight.  Vader clobbered Luke with twin Crits, causing three points of damage in total!  At this close range, "Maulter" Mithel became a sitting dianoga and Luke was more then happy to blast him into oblivion with a whopping four points of damage!  As Luke flew through the resulting cloud of debris, the Black Squadron Pilot tried to avenge his wing man.  Ever the consummate pilot, Luke managed to shuck and jive, taking only one point of damage on three big hits.    

The three ships blew by one another, resulting in a near-collision.  The agile TIE's managed to quickly come hard about, intent on polishing off the lone Rebel pilot.  

After a great deal of tricky piloting the two Imperial ships managed to get Luke back into  their cross-hairs.  Vader squeezed off a few shots but his two hits were quickly countered by a great Evade roll. The Black Squadron Pilot was similarly frustrated after Luke succeeded in juking his attack.

Vader pelted away but his three hits were very nearly shrugged off with pair of  Evades.  One hit got through, however, chipping away at Luke's incessantly regenerating Shields!  The Black Squadron Pilot piled on the abuse by scoring two hits and temporarily eliminating the Rebel pilot's Shields.  

Luke just couldn't seem to shake his pursuers.  Once again, R2-D2 managed to patch up the T-65's Shields and stave off certain doom.  Curse those plucky little astro-droids!  Sensing weakness, Vader scored two hits on his spawn, but Luke managed to Evade a point of the damage.  This left him open to a follow-up strike from the Black Squadron Pilot, who also scored a hit.  

Now firing away at point blank range, Vader scored three hits including a Critical.  Mike rolled his Defense Dice and got one blank and two Focus results.  The first hit was nullified by an Evade result, the second blew out Luke's last Shield and the final shot managed to find its mark.  Red Five's fuselage was instantly ruptured, resulting in a massive internal explosion.

With the budding Jedi Knight killed in the resulting ball of fire the only hope for the Rebellion was destroyed!  The Empire stood triumphant! 

***

Although X-Wing doesn't have all the chrome of Star Warriors it's a perfect example of just how much board games have evolved over the past twenty-five years.  Indeed, after reading the rulebook for X-Wing I was afraid that the game's face-value simplicity wouldn't "feel" like starfighter combat. Mercifully the Maneuver Templates, Barrel Rolls, Target Locks, Pilot Stress Tokens, Critical Hit Damage Cards, Focus Die Results and the secret Movement Dials all add up to a reasonably authentic experience.  

In other words: where Star Warriors tried to sim starfighter combat with an admittedly evolved wargaming ruleset,  X-Wing succeeds in filtering just enough of the same elements through a simpler and more intuitive design.  Granted, it doesn't feel as "real" as it's predecessor, but it's a helluva lot more playable.  In fact, the ability to throw the game down on any available surface (instead of a crappy paper hex-map) is awesome enough.

We did have to pause and sort out some rules ambiguities a bit more often then I expected, but that's probably more my fault then the game's.  Admittedly, I only breezed through the rules earlier that day and I'm confident that the next time I revisit them the answers to the following questions will be made apparent:

• Stressed pilots can't take actions but is firing a weapon included in this ban?
• Does a successful Ion Cannon Attack Die roll completely negate a Defense Die roll?
• If a ship is under Stress can R2 still repair its Shields?

Regardless of these lingering questions, I really enjoyed X-Wing and I'm really looking forward to adding more expansions.  Needless to say I'm positively drooling at the prospects of getting my hands on an A-Wing, TIE Interceptor, Slave I and the mother-fuckin' Millennium Falcon, yo.

X-Wing scores five pips out of six.      

***

Wanna cram a Photon Torpedo up your friend's Thermal Exhaust Port?  Click on the pic below to order X-Wing from Amazon and help support this here blog...                

The Wheaton Effect Part Three: "Elder Sign"

Previous iterations of this series have come about because a game featured on Wil Wheaton's Tabletop looked so awesome (namely Zombie Dice and Tsuro) that one of us immediately rushed out and bought it.  In the interest of full disclosure, Elder Sign was already in Andrew's game collection prior it being feted by THE WHEATON, but after watching Wil and company indulge in this Lovecraftian die-chucker we really felt compelled to give it another bash ourselves.

Before we strike out on our eldritch adventures, here's our video muse:

    

Set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, Elder Sign takes place in an atmospheric New England town in the 1920's.  Players select from one of eight different investigators and set them loose inside a museum stocked with dangerous arcane artifacts.  These relics are so powerful that they begin to erode the barrier between our realm and darker planes of existence which are home to a litany of unspeakable horrors.  As these inter-dimensional doorways begin to crack open, loathsome beasts of varying power and influence begin to wriggle into our realm.  Aware of the impending threat,  a small handful of fragile, illuminated souls attempt to close these gateways through the use of magical sigils called Elder Signs.  Can they prevent the Great Old Ones from overwhelming our reality, bringing madness and destruction with them?

Elder Sign is a cooperative dice game of supernatural horror for one to eight players which can be played out in about ninety minutes.  It was designed by Richard Launius and Kevin Wilson, who brought us the dense and ludicrously thematic Lovecraftian board game Arkham Horror.  Players take on the roles of investigators who are trying to prevent the Elder Gods infiltrating our dimension, thus laying waste to everything.  During the course of the game, players try to improve their odds by gathering items, spells, allies and weapons.  In their quest to procure Elder Signs and thus barricade our reality against the Ancient Ones, players will see their character's Sanity and Stamina values pushed to the limit.

To gather Elder Signs, investigators must explore the museum and its grounds, hoping to successfully navigate their way through various perilous Adventures.  A simple and fun dice-rolling mechanic (augmented with yellow and red bones which represent equipment) helps to play out the increasingly-tense endeavor.  If the Investigators should tarry, a substantial-looking cardboard clock inexorably counts down to an inevitable and nigh-insurmountable encounter with one randomly-selected Ancient One.

Of course, that's just a simple overview.  Those Investigators looking to unlock all the secrets of the cosmos are welcome to read the entire rulebook right here.  Just don't lose yer marbles.

The Roles

Andrew assumed the role of Bob Jenkins, Vacume Cleaner Salesman.

I turned up Mandy Thompson, Researcher / Busybody / Professional Nosy Parker.

Dean pulled Amanda Sharpe, Sociology Major and Girls Gone Wild ingenue.

Mike drew Joe Diamond, Private Dick and all-around Hard-Boiled Gumshoe.

The game kicked off in style when Mike randomly drew Cthulhu as our arch villain.  Like I always say: go big or stay home! 

Turn One

The first Mythos card we drew ("Be Prepared") was immediately nullified because some of us actually started with Common Items.  Could this be a good omen or a bad ottoman?  Yarrrr, I don't know what I'm talkin' about...

Mike completed his first Adventure by Focusing a Peril Die result and then rolling a Terror on his third attempt.  After placing a Monster on the "Something Has Broken Free" Adventure Card he helped himself to his reward: a Clue token, a Unique Item and our first Elder Sign.  Woot!!!

While trying to navigate through an "Unnatural Habitat", I was forced to burn my starting Clue token to re-roll.  I finally succeeded on my fourth attempt, losing one Stamina from a Terror Result but acquiring a helpful new Spell in exchange.

Andrew decided to take a casual stroll down "The Hallway of Fire", which turned out to be just as inviting as it sounds.  His first and second rolls did yield the required Peril results, but the dangerous Adventure drained off two of his Stamina points in the process.  At least he managed to crawl out of there with two Unique Items as a reward!

Dean used "The King in Yellow" to add a much-needed Red Die to his pool.  While "In The Hidden Passage", Dean turned up three Investigation die facings.  After failing to get what he needed on the second toss, he tried to Focus a three-point Investigation result to improve his chances.  But on the third and forth attempt, he still failed to generate a Peril result, resulting in a loss of two Stamina.

Turn Two 

  

Mike tried to avenge Dean on the same Adventure.  On his first throw he got a three-point Investigation result and put a much-needed Peril into Focus.  After ditching a Clue token to re-roll, he managed to score a Lore result and beat the challenge!

The clock struck Midnight, ushering in a new Mythos condition.  Thanks to the last minute 'Fuck You' effect from "Be Prepared", two new monsters appeared in the museum.  Normally when "The Stars Align" it's a good thing, but since we're in Lovecraft territory, it isn't in our favor.  Two new Doom Tokens were added to the Doom Track!

I used "The Voice of Ra" while perusing the "Mysterious Tome".  I managed to dice up a three point Investigation result and a Terror on my first roll.  Although my second roll was a complete and total bust I still managed to pull out an eleventh hour miracle by conjuring up two scroll symbols, thus covering my Lore requirements!  The resulting triumph earned me a desperately needed Clue Token and a Spell.  The first Other Worldly Adventure of the game also turned up!

Andrew attended a "Gala in the Great Hall".  He produced a three-point Investigation result but lost one Sanity due to the Adventure's Terror Effect.  On the second roll, he tried to focus a skull-faced Terror result but it was all for nought since his next two attempts were a complete and total washout.

Dean also decided to brave the gruesome "Gala".  He rolled up a single Investigation result, just enough to reduce his Sanity.  He decided to Focus a Terror but then rolled two more of the same thing!  His third roll (two Investigation, one Lore and one Peril) was pure money, allowing him to complete the Adventure with gusto!

Turn Three       

Undaunted by the innocuous-sounding but heavily-guardeded "Storage Closet", Mike managed to shiv the monster-cum-bouncer standing by the door on his very first throw!   On his second toss he conjured up a tidy sum of three Investigation points.  On his third go-round he employed the "Blue Watcher of the Pyramid" to dial up two Lore results and finish the Adventure with panache!  After claiming one Unique Item and one Clue for his bravery, Mike turned up a second Other Worldly Adventure Card.

At Midnight another Monster appeared and yet another token got added to the Doom Track!

In the "sucks to be me" category I started having "Horrible Visions".  Instead of panicking however, I just concentrated on rolling up a Peril and a Terror result.  My second toss of a Peril and a Lore was even more fortuitous.  Just like that, I managed to complete the Adventure in two economic rolls!  This gave me a valuable Unique Item as well as a precious Elder Sign!

Trying to give himself some insurance, Andrew armed himself with a Gun for his next Adventure: "Did You Hear That?"  Although he managed to roll two Peril on his first cast, he completely whiffed his next two attempts.  It was at this moment when we began to suspect that poor Andrew's had inherited Wil Wheaton's shit-tacular Elder Sign luck.  

Still on clean-up duty, Dean tackled the very same mission.  It didn't start well and he was forced to burn two Clues to re-roll twice.  Although he managed to kill the guardian Monster with two Peril, he fell short on his final roll.  At least he managed to free up the captive Red Die for later use.

Turn Four

In lemming-like fashion, Mike decided to try his luck in the same challenge!  After using his Shotgun to blast up a Peril he was forced to burn though no less then six re-rolls in order to finally beat the Adventure.

Midnight saw the introduction of the "Keep Friends Close" condition.  Since none of us had any Allies, we were forced to add a fresh Doom counter to Cthulhu's card.  

In my next mission I used the "Ruby of R'Lyeh" to give me a bonus Red Die and then spent the "Voice of Ra" to scare up a second Terror result.  I managed to polish off the challenge on my second roll, winning a Clue token and a Spell in the process.  

Having been burned so many times before, Andrew lowered the bar and tried to take on an easier mission.  He used his Dynamite to get a Red Die but still crapped out on his first roll.  Despite Focusing a Lore, he also choked on his next two throws.  Only on his Fourth attempt did he manage to pull a Peril and the required amount of Investigation out of his anus.  This garnered him two Clues and also added yet another Elder Sign to our trophy case!  

Dean nipped back to the Lobby and healed Amanda's Stamina with a winning combination of Jager-bombs and prescription codeine.        

Turn Five

Although suddenly it was "Lights Out!", Mike forged on nonetheless.  He bolstered his first roll with a Red Die courtesy of the "Cultes des Goules" and came away with three Investigation.  After failing his second roll he tried to pull a Hail Mary by focusing a Wildcard.  Unfortunately he whiffed the final toss, ran out of dice and was forced to eat two damage as well as his fair share of trans-dimensional penis.  We were also forced to tack another Doom Token to ye olde Doom Track.

After taking on "When Night Falls" I rustled up two Peril and two Lore on my inaugural roll.  On my second die toss I managed to will a Terror result into existence, beat the Adventure and walk away with a Clue, a Unique Item and an Elder Sign.

Andrew ran afoul of the "Vermin In The Pipes".  To try and tilt the odds in his favor, he helped himself to Mike's locked Red Wildcard die and rolled a Lore.  On his second throw he used the Red Terror die sitting idle on my "Red Sign of Shudde M'ell" card to polish off the Adventure and snap up one Spell, one Clue and one Unique Item.

Meanwhile, Dean got caught up in a "Riot in the Streets".  After his first toss he decided to Focus a three Investigation die result.  He nailed all the requirements in the second roll, conjuring up no less then nine Investigation!  This gave him one Unique and one Common Item apiece, but more importantly, it gave us yet another Elder Sign!

Turn Six                   

Mike tackled the eponymous "Elder Sign" Adventure and scored a valuable Lore result on his second toss.  Unfortunately the quest's Terror Effect cost him one Sanity and one Stamina in the process.  He tried to focus a three-point Investigation result but just couldn't produce another Lore on his final throw of the dice.

At Midnight the Lingering Effect of the previous card discarded our Spells!  Thanks to "Strange Sights", Something Wicked This Way Came and a new Monster was added to the museum's environs.  

I doubled back to the Lobby to cash in ten Reward Points for an Elder Sign.  Hey, it's a small price to pay for the deliverance of the human race.

Andrew tried to exterminate the "Vermin in the Pipes"...again.  His wretched luck finally began to turn around somewhat after he produced three Investigation and one Peril in his first roll.  He then conjured up three more Investigation with two dice.  Despite the good fortune, he still has to spend two Clue tokens on a pair of re-rolls in order to secure the last three required Investigation points.  After his narrow victory, Boooooooooob Ah-Jeeeennnnnkiiiiiiins hauls off a Clue token and no less then three Common Items.

Despite the danger of chafing, Dean feverishly rubbed the "Lamp of Al'Hazrad" for good luck before analyzing the "Blood on the Floor".  The tactic seemed to work and he managed to dice up two, three-point Investigation results, a Terror and a Wildcard!  With a single roll, the Adventure was done and Dean brought home a Clue, a Common item and yet another Elder Sign!

Turn Seven     

    
Mike went back to the Lobby to bake up a fresh batch of healin' muffins, which put his Stamina value back up to max.

The clock struck Midnight yet again, making me wonder just how long we'd been trapped in this furshlugginer museum.  "A Warning" threatened to ramp up all of our Sanity costs and losses by one!  Yikes!

I crept down the "Great Hall of Celeano" and managed to slay the guardian Monster with a scroll symbol.  I was then forced to re-roll my second toss in order to acquire a second Lore result.  After investing yet another re-roll I was finally managed to produce three Investigation dice for a total of six points!  The successful completion of this Adventure gave me a Spell, but it also added one token each to the Elder Sign pool and (curiously) the Doom Track.

Andrew rescued a puppy named Duke from the animal shelter, which was inexplicably located right across the hall from the museum gift shop.

Dean took on the "Lights Out!" Adventure, busting out an "Axe" to add a handy Yellow Die.  His first throw was a disaster and he was forced to spend a Clue to re-roll, which only ended up giving him three Investigation.  His next roll was a double Peril, prompting two more re-rolls!  In a last ditch effort he tried to focus a Lore but even his last attempt turned out to be a dud.  He was forced to turf a Food card in order to minimize his Stamina loss by one.  

Turn Eight

Mike employed an "Alien Statue" (?) to try and get through a "Guided Tour" in one piece.  He rolled two Investigation in a failed attempt, Focused one Lore and then came up with four Investigation thanks to his Red Die.  On the next chuck he totally nailed his final Lore requirement and collected two Clues and a Common item.

"A Warning" rang out at Midnight as two pulpy, new unnamable horrors squirmed their way into the museum!

It was "Light's Out" for me as well and my initial response was a virtually useless three-Lore die roll.  My next two throws weren't that much better and, being completely devoid of Clue tokens, I had no other choice but to take my lumps.  This came in the form of a two-point Stamina loss and the addition of a new Doom Token.  Although it's a bitter defeat, I'm assuaged somewhat knowing that this is my first cock-up of the entire game.

Although the "Koi Pond" sounded tranquil and inviting, it was virtually quarantined since it was rife with Monsters and insane Adventure requirements.   Embracing the philosophy that fortune favors the bold (or the brain damaged), Andrew decided to kick off his shoes and wade in with some feeder pellets.  His rendition of 'Mandy' on the "Flute of the Outer Gods" apparently inspired the loathsome horror guarding the gate to suicide.  After a harrowing re-roll he used the reserve die provided by my "Enchanted Weapon" to roll up two Peril and a Terror to complete the task!

In order to nab the final Elder Sign, Dean logically tackled "The Elder Sign".  He failed his first roll, focusing an Investigation result for the future.  Two more failed attempts followed, but out of the blue he suddenly produced two Lore on his fourth toss.  Thanks to Amanda's "Studious" ability, Dean could complete the first two tasks of the Adventure all at once!  On his very last roll, Dean pulled out a final scroll symbol, overcoming the challenge and winning us the game!

Suck it, you bat-winged, tentacle-faced, skull-heady pussy!

          

             

    
Now don't get me wrong: I like Elder Sign but I don't loooooove it.  Mainly because there seems to be a tremendous amount of luck involved.

And while the die-rolling mechanic might be novel, it feels less like an "Adventure" to me and more like a thematic re-upholstering of Yahtzee.  Even though I also have issues with the sometimes-frustrating Arkham Horror at least that game really makes you feel as if you're traversing the oppressive, lethal environs of Lovecraft's realm.  In any Cthulhu Mythos game, players should either feel as if their characters are on the verge of going nuts or having their skulls popped open like an over-ripe zit.        

Still, Elder Sign is a slick and evocative little package that can serve up some genuinely tense moments.  The game's production values are top-notch and, hey, who doesn't enjoy chucking a massive mitt-full of bizarre-looking dice?

As such, I give Elder Sign four pips out of six.

For Instant D&D-style Sandbox Wilderness Adventure, Just Add Players: "Runebound"

This past Wednesday night we were slated to finish up our play through of Warrior Knights which we'd begun the previous week.  Unfortunately, poor Dean had to contend with yet another unexpected crisis:

"Xcell 1 (a critical bioreactor) just went 'Fuck you, I’m on a break'!  Sorry guys, but it’s looking like a late night for me.  You can still game just not at my place."

Fortunately Andrew had five games prepped, including the D&D-esque, hex-based sandbox wilderness crawl Runebound.  Since all of us are fans of the venerable Fantasy Flight classic, the competition really didn't stand a chance!

Players begin by selecting one character out of a possible twelve fantasy archetypes.  By rolling Movement Dice, these character traverse through a realm of varying terrain (including plains, hills, swamps, roads, and forests) encountering monsters, enduring skill tests and earning Gold and experience whenever they succeed.  Just like any traditional RPG, these things can be levied for better equipment and superior stats.

As players progress through the game they face increasingly difficult challenges until someone manages to overcome three of Margath's lieutenants (thus collecting Dragonrunes) or someone actually manages to defeat the High Dragonlord himself in mortal combat.

Since this is a pretty major gloss-over job, you can check out a full PDF of the rules right here. 

Now, although Fantasy Flight claims that the game can be played in two to four hours, that's virtually impossible to do with four players.  In order to achieve some semblance of a finale in one evening we decided to adopt the following three variants:

(1)  Instead of having one big amalgous market deck, characters can visit specific shops and locations in every town.  You can go to the Weaponsmith for Weapons, the Armorer for Armor, the Tavern for low-level Allies, the Guildhall for High-Level Allies, the Enchanter for Artifacts, the Ritualist for Rituals and the Rune Master for Runes.  Not only is this more intuitive it make a helluva lot more sense thematically.    
      
(2) You only need one Experience Point to get to Level One, then two for Level Two, three for Level Three and then four for each subsequent level-up. 

(3) Whoever kills the first red Dragonlord wins.  Bonus props if it just so happens to be Margath!

In another slight wrinkle, Andrew pooled characters together from several expansions, giving us a wide variety of choice.  Here's how the character selection broke down:

Andrew selected Bogran the Shadow.  

Chad picked Sir Valadir.

I became Trenloe the Strong. 

And Mike was looking quite fetching as Andira Runehand.

And here's what the board looks like at the start of the game (take particular note of the initial spread of available goods and the divided market decks sitting off to the right).  

Turn One

I got to play first, moving Trenloe from the central city of Tamalir to Dawnsmoor in the southwest.  In the town's market I spent all three of my initial allotment of Gold to buy a Dragontooth Hammer.  

Chad followed suit but failed to find anything affordable at the Dawnsmoor Armory.  

Mike ventured to the colorfully-named Hanging Woods to the northeast and encountered a Razorwing.  After defending himself from a Ranged attack, he managed to slay the beast in the Melee segment, scoring a coin, some experience and a Mind Value level-up!

Andrew travelled from Tamalir into the Ashen Hills.  He failed to get a free attack after whiffing his pre-combat Climb challenge and then got clobbered in the Ranged segment for a point of damage.  He bounced back in Melee, however, killing the creature and leveling up his Mind Value.  

Turn Two    

I trekked from Dawnsmoor to the equally off-putting Misty Plains and ended up tangling with a Sky Full Of Wasps.  I took a strike from their long-distance assault but managed to kill them by tapping my newly-acquired Hammer in the Melee round.  This gave me a level up, which I gladly applied to Trenloe's Body Value.  

Chad took on a Green Challenge in the same region.  He was blind-sided by a deadly Assassin On The Loose, taking two damage in the Ranged segment.  After a woefully poor Melee roll of 4, Valadir was forced to take a third wound.  And then, during the second round of combat, the Assassins managed to fell the mighty knight with two more points of damage!  Even after re-assuring Chad that "if yer gonna die, do it early", it was still cold comfort.   

Mike's character Andira hiked to the Western Hills and expertly avoided peril in the Ranged Phase against a new foe.  She wasn't quite so lucky in the hand-to-hand fight portion of the fight and was forced to take two Hearts worth of damage.  Andira bounced back in the Magic phase, frying her opponent for an experience point and scoring a coin to boot!

Now wounded, Andrew was forced to roll one less Movement Die for Bogran.  After limping back to the town of Forge, he paid one Gold to heal himself and then hired a Highway Guardian with his last three Gold.  As such, we applauded his restrain for not blowing all of his money on ale n' whores.  

  

Turn Three

           

Trenloe stumbled back to Dawnsmoor, spent a Gold to get patched up and then made a Griffon-line straight for the Tavern.  Borderline destitute, I couldn't find any hirelings who were willing to work for trail rations and the occasional hand job.    

Chad dispatched Valadir to the Misty Plains where he managed to battle and defeat something called a Golden Skull Wielder (?) during the Melee phase.  He scored a Gold coin and then leveled up his Mind Value.

Mike headed back to Tamalir to spend his meager coins on healing two points of damage and then retaining a willing (and obviously very open-minded) Rune Seeker.  

Andrew stumbled into a Ghost Stag while exploring the Ashen Hills.  Bogran delivered two points of damage during the Ranged Phase, but his Guardian was wounded (appropriately) during the subsequent Melee.  After successfully defending against a Magic assault, Bogran delivered the deathblow during his second Ranged attack.  

Turn Four 

I got jumped by a beastie while traversing the eastern grasslands, forcing me I'm to suck up two points of damage in the first Round.  Despite this, I managed to drop my foe with three damage in Round Two and collect two much-needed Gold.  

Chad ventured north-east, looking to avenge well...himself against the triumphant Assassin that bested him earlier!  This time he successfully defended during the distance attack and leveled two points of hurt during the subsequent hand-to-hand combat.  Although he managed to polish off the Assassin in the next Melee phase, he certainly didn't get away scot-free; suffering a point of damage during the Ranged Phase.  The three-coin reward that followed served as a welcome balm to these minor abrasions.

Mike had Andira strike out west towards the Flametail River.  Along the way he stumbled into the Lair of Bacon...er, Bakkon.  After a Swim test to avoid Fatigue, his Rune Seeker managed to win the Ranged skirmish and deal a point of damage.  He failed to defend himself during the Melee, however, and his life total dipped by two.  Andira had her revenge in the Magic phase, however, making sure that Bakkon ended up nice n' crispy!

While Bogran was a-wanderin' along the Thelsvan Highway, Andrew rolled a successful Mind-based reaction test to avoid the coils of Hungry Worms.   He then managed to slay the beast in one expertly- timed Ranged attack. 

Turn Five 

I'm off to Riverwatch to blow my wad...er, go shopping, but after paying two Gold to to heal Trenloe the Semi-Congealed I'm only left with a single coin.  As such, the one-use, two-damage-avoiding, dirt-cheap Shell Shield seems like a pretty good deal so I figger 'What the hell?' and pick it up. 

Chad visits the Weaponsmith in Tamalir but everything's a bit too rich for his blood so he just settles on healing three points of damage.    

Mike heads due North to Nerekhall.  He spends his one and only Gold coin to buy some healin' muffins and then goes window shopping in the Enchanter district.  

Andrew discards "A Gift From The Gods" to heal up one point and then marches straight into a Razorwing Nest in the eastern hills.  He rolls over "6" to defend in the Ranged phase and then delivers the coup de grâce in the following Melee round.   

     

Turn Six

I killed an Atavax in one round while exploring the Mountains of Despair.  With my experience point cup runneth-ing over, I unwisely decided to diversify Trenloe by upping his Mind Value.  I didn't know it at the time but this oversight would soon prove disastrous.   

Chad made his way north along the Thelsvan Highway towards Greyhaven.

Mike put Andira up against a frightening Nest of Bane Spiders.  After deftly avoiding the snare of "webbing", he managed to defend himself against both Ranged and Melee attacks, allowing him to perform a one-shot kill during the Magic Phase.  

On the path just north west of Vynelvale, Andrew narrowly avoided a lightning bolt cast by a dangerous fiend.  After Bogran softened up his quarry with two points of damage during the Ranged Phase, the Highway Guardian managed to mop up the threat in the following close skirmish.    

Turn Seven

  

Given my multiple level-ups, damage-absorbing shield and potential to deliver three points of damage in one blow, I'm starting to buy into my own delusions of grandeur.  As such, I made my way down into the Smokeblue Hills and took on my first Yellow Challenge.  The first card flop turned out to be the incredibly annoying "Doom at the Crossroads", which forced us to fight Ghoul Patrols whenever we dared venture onto the main roads.  My challenge proper came in the form of a Hunting Party.  In Round One my first hand-to-hand attack hit for a whopping three points of damage but then my luck immediately went down the cesspool.  I rolled no less then three nines in a row, putting me just one point shy of the Party's 17 value Melee strength.  Even after sacrificing my shield I was still laid low, causing me to lose all of my coins and, even worse, my Hammer.  If I'd just leveled up my primary ability last time instead of increasing my Mind Value, I would have won!  Instead I'm sent packing back to Riverwatch in a body bag.  

Chad initially stumbled into a Ranged contest against the Ghoul Patrols, taking a point of damage before overcoming the threat.  To make up for this, he handily dropped a Varakesh Necromancer in the first round by delivering two points of Melee damage and picking up two gold. 

Mike made his way along the Crimson Forest hills before chancing upon an encounter.  He defended himself in the Ranged phase and then handily bested his rival in the Magic Phase.

After facing the Ghoul Patrol along the Thelsvan Highway, Andrew ran into a flock of Razorwing Raiders.  With an advantage gained from a successful Sneak check, Andrew managed to kill them in the very first Phase, earning a Gold.  The rest of us are beginning to suspect that he's single-handedly trying to put Razorwings on the endangered species list.  

Turn Eight    

After waking up in the Riverwatch infirmary, Trenloe tentatively inched his way up north into the Ashen Hills.

After rolling "nary a forest" Chad just can't get where he's going.  After rambling south into the hills just east of Starfall Forest, Valadir encountered a Vingolen after coming off of a successful Hide test and killed the creature in the first round of combat.

Mike's character Andira entered Greyhome town limits and blew two Gold to recover two points of damage.

Andrew went back to Riverwatch and sought out the Armorer to procure the incredibly valuable Shield of Light.

Turn Nine   

Trenloe stumbled upon the Temple of Margath deep in the Ashen Hills.  I failed to parley my excellent Tinker roll into a successful first-round Melee attack and ended up suffering two points of Magic damage.  Mercifully I dropped the hammer on these pervy priests in the second Melee round by rolling an 8.  Actually I couldn't have dropped the hammer on them since my hammer was stolen by some slimy corpse-thief, so I guess I just beat them to death with a pillow case filled with rusty doorknobs.

Chad's Sir Valadir hit the Thelsvan Highway, forcing him to contend with the Ghoul Patrol.  After taking a one-point smack in the Ranged category, he killed them outright during Melee.  He then picked his way through the ominous fields just north of the Mountains of Despair until he encountered an enemy.  After two very effective hand-to-hand combat rounds, he was able to overcome the threat and recover his very own Dragontooth Hammer!

After Mike's Movement Die failed to get where he's going, I did him a solid by using the ability retained on the "Sky Full of Wasps" card to get him to the Crimson Forest where he was promptly attacked by a Deathwitch (mmmmm....Deathwich).  After handily nailing his Diplomacy test, Mike defended in the Ranged Phase, skipped the Melee portion and then clobbered the bitch in a spectacular Magic duel.

Andrew thoughtfully avenged me by taking out the Hunting Party in Round Two.  Not so thoughtfully, he decided to help himself to the four Gold which, by rights,  should have been mine.  Fucksticks.

Turn Ten

I continued the long and arduous process of clawing my way back to the status quo.  The process was nudged along ever so slightly when I managed to beat up the Servants of Vorakesh and steal their measly, single coin worth of lunch money.

After wading through the consistently annoying Ghoul Patrol, Chad killed a recently refreshed Green Encounter during the Ranged Phase and acquired one Gold for his Herculean efforts.  

Mike went East and powered through his own encounter with the Ghouls.  Just after that he was  Ambushed, forcing him to spend Fatigue in order to avoid damage.  In the second round, he conquered the threat and picked up two Gold coins.  

Meanwhile, Andrew's Bogran (okay, that kinda sounds dirty) travels north-east to pick a fight, wading through a Ghoul Patrol en route.  From out of nowhere a vicious Sabrecat pounced on him, but Andrew perforated the beast with a Ranged attack before it could even get close to him.  This snagged him a single coin which is kinda weird since, little known fact, Sabrecats rarely carry their wallets on them. 

Turn Eleven 

My effort to get back up to speed is foiled when I'm set upon by Giant Beetles.  Since my Melee roll of six was one shy of what I needed,  Trenloe the "Strong" is killed.  Again.  Honestly, in the immortal words of Albert King, if it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all.      

Chad sent Valadir to Tamalir (try saying that five times real quick) and acquired a point of healin' and a  Sun Elf as an Ally.  What's a Sun Elf you may ask?  If afraid that only one who could possibly answer that is the eight year old kid that Fantasy Flight obviously retained to come up with it in the first place.    

Mike dropped two Movement Die to recover two Fatigue and then went East.  He defended against the Ghoul Patrol's Ranged Attack by rolling a 20 and then killed them in the Melee phase.  A Mistress of Ferrox turned out to be his main encounter, which he managed to destroy at a pretty hefty cost during Round Two.  

He also played the "Sky Full of Wasps" card on Andrew to help him reach the triumphant Giant Beetles that were still symbolically tea-bagging my remains.  Andrew showed me up by killing them in one Round and gaining two Gold as a reward.  Hello salt, meet wound!    

Turn Twelve 

I sent Trenloe the Strong into the charmingly named Hanging Woods where he was promptly set upon by Vorakesh Necromancers.  Although I didn't score a combat advantage after failing my Sneak check, I did cause two points of Melee damage and successfully defended against their strong Magic assault.  My second hand-to-hand attack also landed true, taking down my quarry and netting me some loose change.          

In the guise of Sir Valadir, Chad set off to the mountains just east of Starfall Forest.  Despite failing his pre-combat challenge and taking a point of damage he managed to whack his enemy in the first Melee Round and claim three sweet, sweet coins.  

Mike put two Movement Die aside to rest up and barely budged out of his makeshift wilderness lean-to.  

Andrew managed to dispatch a Berserker Ent in one Round.  Jerk.   

Turn Thirteen 

In dealing with the friggin' Ghoul Patrol for the first time, I took a point of damage during the Ranged Phase but exacted my revenge by killing them during Melee.  I proved to be equally lethal against a Razorwing Hunting Pack, pulverizing them but good during the first Melee Phase.

Chad/Valadir went off to the big city of Tamalir to get a package healing deal for himself and his stupid hippie Elf.  

      

Mike's Andira put down the Ghoul Patrol in the first Magic phase.  In his scrap against the Servants of Varakesh he dodged the Ranged attack and then stabbed his opponent right in the brain during the knife fight which followed.   

After healing a point of damage in Forge Andrew couldn't find anything to buy.  Man, that Gold was just a-burnin' a hole in his coin purse!    

Turn Fourteen

I send Trenloe back to Tamalir for some bactine n' band-aids.  After all the sweet, sweet healin' I finally retain my first Ally in the form of a diminutive but otherwise meat shield-y Dwarven Ranger.

Chad faced his first Yellow Challenge.  In a nicely co-ordinated attack his Sun Elf inflicted a single point of damage in the Ranged Phase and Valadir delivered the finale blow in Melee.  

After hearing good things about the leech-handlers in Frostgate so went there to convalesce, eventually recovering three points of damage.

After healing his Ally, Andrew undertook a stirring act of heroism and went, um...shopping.  

Turn Fifteen          

After tentatively testing Tinker, I took on the Temple of Targath...er, Margath.  Unfortunately my Dwarven Ranger was apparently so wee that I completely forgot that he was standing there.  As a result I had to suck up a point of damage in the first Round.  I did manage to hit for two points of damage during the fisticuffs phase and remembered shorty in the Ranged phase of Round Two, which allowed me to finish of the Templars.     

While headed North, Chad killed the Ghoul Patrol during the Melee Phase.  Again.  

Mike passed the pre-combat challenge versus Lady Cathori so his Rune Seeker got to stay in the fight!  He dealt damage during the first Magic Phase, received a one point counter-attack from Cathori in Round Two and then polished her off with a second on-target spell blast. 

Andrew kept trolling through the markets of Forge like a shoe addict in an Orlando retail outlet and then bitched about not finding anything to buy.  Waaaah, poor baby.  Diamond shoes too tight?         

Turn Sixteen   

After hearing a rumor that the charming hamlet of Forge had a great bagel place, Trenloe the Peckish went north.

After overcoming "Bound for Suffering", Sir Valadir bumped into a Skeleton Horde.  Chad's Sun Elf did a point of damage in the Ranged Phase and Valadir completed the one-two punch in Melee.  He then collected three Gold, which, at this stage, I'd sell my own mother to acquire.  

Andira passed a Swim test, avoiding a point of damage.  Mike rolled effectively against the Brood of the Bloodmother ('Brood of the Bloodmother'?  Really?!?  Who the fuck came up with this stuff?  Todd McFarlane?), killing her with Magic at the end of the round.      

After trying in vain to find a dream bow buried at the bottom of a Wal-Mart DVD discount bin Bogran finally left town.  Andrew pulls a new Yellow Condition and needless to say none of are particularly broken-hearted to see "Doom at the Crossroads" get trumped.  Although "Calling Down the Inferno" sounds ten times worse, we're relieved to learn that it just gives characters a point of Fatigue when they enter a Forest hex.  Cripes, over dramatic much?  Next Bogran has a run-in with Sir Vyleen the Fallen.  After inflicting two damage in Ranged, Andrew was forced to tap his shield to avoid taking two smacks in return.  In Round Two he polished off Monsieur Vyleen in the Ranged phase.  

Turn Seventeen 

Trenlow managed to slay a Lizard Rat in one Round, earning me a Gold and a Melee level up.  Can you fucking believe that I'm still killing rats this late in the game?  

Valadir fails his pre-combat challenge and the Sun Elf gets perforated in the Ranged Phase by a Rune Apprentice.  He bounces back by dealing three damage during the Melee Phase, putting the upstart Apprentice in tha dirt, yo.    

Although Andira fails to Resist the advances of Lord Farrow and earns two Fatigue (wow, sounds like the plot of a bad Jane Austen novel) he does drop a combined three points of damage during Melee and Magic, killing his opponent.  

Brogran gets surrounded by the Hungry Dead but manages to defend the initial Melee assault with his Shield o' Light.  The subsequent Ranged attack finishes off the shambling threat!  

Turn Eighteen

Desperate for Gold I move two hexes into the Forest, voluntarily take a Fatigue from "Calling Down the Inferno" and then discard the "Hidden Treasure" card that I'd picked up earlier in order to score three Gold.  

Chad moves Valadir to Grayhaven for some much needed R&R.

Mike began a south easterly trek, shelving one die to decrease his Fatigue.  He encountered a monster en route and killed it in the second round with a two point Magic attack.  Andira suffered three Fatigue and three matching wounds in the rough fight!  

Andrew has Bogran join me in my space.  Instantly I assumed that he was going to rape me like Ned Beatty in Deliverance but my overtly pitiful state seemed to be a turn off, even to Andrew.  

Turn Nineteen          

I moved Trenloe the Pokey two spaces to Forge and then picked up a Mace of Kellos for six Gold pieces.  

Valadir happened upon a Ferrox outside of Nerekhall.  He expertly defended himself in Ranged combat and then dropped three points of damage in Melee, effectively splitting the thing from crown to groin.  

Again Mike broke out the camping equipment to get rid of two Fatigue and played a reserve card to discard a Heart of damage.

Bogran arrived in Grayhaven and procured the "services" of Runesmith Shan.    

Turn Twenty  

Trenloe hiked five river spaces towards Tamalir.  

Heavily Fatigued, Chad crept one space south.

Mike guided Andira in a south-easterly direction, setting aside one Movement Die to get rid of her final Fatigue.  He then came up against a formidable Yellow Challenge: Lady Vorakesh.  In the first Round Mike used Andira's special ability to give his Seeker a +2 bonus to hit, a gambit which paid off.  He then creamed his foe in the following Round's Ranged Phase.     

After twenty turns worth of near-flawless flawless build up Andrew finally felt confident enough to tackle a Blue challenge which came in the form of a Hybrid Berserker.  Things got off to a promising start when the newly-acquired Shan delivered a three-point Magic blast even before the combat started!  Rocking a +11 modifier to his Ranged roll, Bogran had absolutely no problem putting an arrow through the Berserker's eye socket.  Just like that, Andrew picked up five (easy) Gold pieces and leveled up yet again!    

Turn Twenty-One

Now armed with a decent weapon, I finally started taking on Yellow Challenges again like Kral the Bone-Lich.  After succeeding in my initial Jump challenge my unfairly-maligned Dwarf managed to stave off a deadly Ranged attack!  This allowed me to counter with a solid showing in Melee, causing four points of damage with my Mace.  This allowed me to pick up three precious Gold in the loot drop.  Although I'm flushed by my success I know that it's way too little and way too late.  

Chad's Sun Elf dished out a point of Ranged damage against Sir Farran the Pale.  The three additional Melee damage that followed efficiently felled the threat!

   

Mike overcame "A Question of Honor" to gain a free Ally for himself!  He then had to contend with "Zombies on the Loose" which he managed to defeat in Round Two.  Unfortunately he's forced to heavily Fatigue Andira in order to keep his Rune Seeker alive!  

Andrew went for the win by going after a Red Challenge which turned out to be Dragonlord Arborax.  Things looked a bit bleak at first when Bogran failed his Jump check and took three Fatigue and two Damage!  Things got even grimmer when Shan's pre-combat Magic attack fizzled.  Nevertheless, armed with a healthy +13 bonus to hit during Ranged attacks, Andrew bounced back, dealing two damage.  The Highway Guard defended during the Melee and Shan stood true during the Magic duel.  Even Arborax couldn't sustain Bogran's withering Ranged assault and he eventually dropped, giving Andrew the win!       

***  

     

To me, Runebound is the gaming equivalent of a comfy pair of slippers.  It was our first introduction to the world of Fantasy Flight and it really showcased just how thematically awesome a board game could be.  

But by no means is it perfect.  First off, the setting of Terrinoth feels like something that was spawned from the over-clocked, half-baked imagination of creatively embryonic prepubescent teenaged boys.  In lieu of anything original or flavorful, the Fantasy Flight crew have served up a pretty generic milieu where everything, even the so-called "heroes", have an evilish veneer of laughably overdramatic bad-assery.  

In a less frivolous criticism, Runebound takes a long friggin' time to play through to the end.  Even with our speed-up rules and rolling movement die in advance we didn't get to the real end, even after three hours of solid play.  And perish forbid if you suffer an ill-timed setback like I did.  If this happens to you, I sincerely hope that you dig the character-building aspect of the game since your odds of winning are now completely dependent on the leader's hypothetical fuck-ups. 

But I do love the character building as well as the movement, equipment and combat rules.  As a lapsed Dungeon Master I really dig the palpable feeling of cross-country wilderness exploration, the town markets and the skill challenges.

Even though the old gal is starting to show a few liver spots, I still love Runebound dearly and I'll never pass up an opportunity to play it.  I give it four pips out of six with a healthy tilt up...